Zimbabwe has confirmed attendance at Summit
November 28, 2007
Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe has now announced that he will attend the up-coming EU-Africa Summit in Lisbon. Because of these intentions, British prime minister Gordon Brown has confirmed that he will boycott the meeting (EUobserver). Britain will instead send Valerie Amos to represent it. Amos served as international development minister from 1998 until earlier this year (AFP). According to an article by Reuters, only Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek would join Mr Brown in staying away. Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands, which have hesitated earlier, have informed the Portuguese presidency that their prime ministers will attend. The EU agreed earlier this month to send a “clear and tough” message to Mr Mugabe on human rights at the summit. (See also article in European Voice)
Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade has said that he will push to create a group of African leaders to resolve the stand-off between Zimbabwe and Britain (Reuters). He is currently in Harare negotiating with Mugabe, following a similar meeting between Mugabe and South Africa’s President Thabo Mbeki last week (FT.com).
See also an editorial on the EU-Africa Summit by The Statesman (Ghana), as well as more news on the Lisbon Summit page.
